Local veterans organization celebrates two firsts

THOMAS BRENNAN - Daily News Staff

Tuesday

Sep 17, 2013 at 12:01 AM

The local Beirut Memorial Chapter 642 of the Military Order of the Purple Heart was inducted into the Jacksonville-Onslow Chamber of Commerce as its first non-profit veteran’s organization. Following their ribbon cutting, the chapter announced they were the recipients of the 2013 National Recruiting Award for the third year in a row — a first for a Purple Heart chapter.

The local Beirut Memorial Chapter 642 of the Military Order of the Purple Heart was inducted into the Jacksonville-Onslow Chamber of Commerce as its first non-profit veteran’s organization. Following their ribbon cutting, the chapter announced they were the recipients of the 2013 National Recruiting Award for the third year in a row — a first for a Purple Heart chapter.

“It’s amazing how many people come up to us at an event or when we set up a table and they say they didn’t know we are here,” said Grant Beck, the chapter’s commander. “Hopefully, being part of the chamber means we’ll get a little more exposure in town and be able to help more veterans.”

The primary concern of the order is to look out and care for combat wounded veterans. While the local chapter specializes in dealing with wounded vets, they can guide and refer non-wounded veterans to other veteran service organizations who can help, according to Beck.

“We are also hoping that with our increased exposure in town we will have more Purple Heart recipients get involved with the chapter,” said Beck, 72, of Jacksonville. “We’ll do anything we can to get more help for our combat wounded veterans. After all, they’ve earned it.”

The chapter has veteran service officers who are certified to assist veterans with submitting claims to the Department of Veterans Affairs and assisting combat wounded veterans through the “red tape” that comes with filing to be awarded their Purple Hearts, which can sometimes take over two years — a wait time that is unsatisfactory, according to Beck.

“The good news is that right now we are the second largest chapter in the country, but the bad news is that we’re the second largest chapter in the country,” Beck said. “That means we have had an extremely large number of people killed or wounded. …We’re trying to do everything we can do to grow the chapter and get more of the modern generation involved. They may not need us now, but down the road they may need our assistance.”

Recruiting is about giving the combat wounded a place to belong and letting them know their sacrifice isn’t forgotten, said John Cooney, the chapter adjutant.

“Getting our first national recruiting award was a big boost in morale for the chapter,” said Cooney, 72, of Jacksonville. “Getting it for a third time is truly unique, and it just means all of our hard work is out there. ...It’s also a sobering feeling thinking about how many are being wounded on the battlefield.”

Many of the chapter members have gotten out of the military and now reside across the country but are still involved locally. Others are currently deployed overseas, meaning that only 150 of the roughly 700 members are currently local, according to Cooney.

“Being a Vietnam era veteran myself, we came back with nothing for us,” Cooney said. “We want to make sure that today’s veterans have all of the resources they have earned.”

For those interested and eligible, a lifetime membership in the Military Order of the Purple Heart costs $50, with $20 paid by the Beirut chapter. In order to join, the Purple Heart recipient must present a copy of his or her Marine Online awards page or the endorsement letter for their Purple Heart Certificate. Monthly meetings are held at 1923 Lejeune Blvd. in the Military Relocator building on the second Tuesday of every month at 7 p.m. For more information, contact John Cooney at 910-455-1353 or 910-381-1353.